Then
by BluEyes
Summary: Marriage, love, and kids--Bing style. Epilogue up :
1. I Thought I Loved You Then

Then

Chapter One: I Thought I Loved You Then

_This chapter is completely just setting this fic up. The rest of the chapters should be substantially longer, just have faith in me. I'm pretty excited to write this. I know there don't seem to be that many Mondler fans left in this fandom, but, seeing as I've again found my muse, I feel the need to write this. :) And, just a warning, it __**might**__ just get a little mushy. But, with a plot._

_I don't own any of the characters. Just borrowing them for my own amusement. And yours. Hopefully._

__._.__

Chandler lay in bed, listening to the thunder rumbling. Thanks to the thunderstorm raging outside, the bed was quite crowded. At each flash of lightening and clap of thunder, he saw his daughter Erica move closer to Monica, saw his son Jack literally jump, holding onto his giant teddy bear, and felt their youngest, Phoebe, moving closer to him.

He smiled, remembering the day he went to Phoebe to tell her they were naming their daughter after her, since she had named one of the triplets after him. She broke down crying as she hugged him, telling him she'd always known how amazing of a man he was.

Moving his gaze to Monica, a small smile played on his lips. He loved watching her sleep. Once upon a time, he had thought the whole concept of watching someone sleep was rather creepy. Not too long after they started dating, he immediately realized the opposite. It was so soothing watching her sleep. He remembered the first night he had watched her sleep. It couldn't have been more than a few weeks after they started seeing each other, and 'what they were' was still up in the air since they had yet to talk about it, but deep down, he knew. After that night, he knew. He wouldn't have admitted it out loud, and was hardly even admitting it to himself.

But, he knew. He knew they were something special. He knew she was someone he didn't want to let go of. In his mind, the "L" word even somehow crept in, but he pushed that thought away at the time. Far, far away. Months away.

Feeling Monica's hand on his, reaching across the bed, across their three children, Chandler couldn't help but smile.

'And I thought I loved her then…'

__._.__

_I hadn't told you yet_

_but I thought I loved you then_

_And now you're my whole life_

_And now you're my whole world_

_And I just can't believe_

_The way I feel about you, girl_

_Like a river meets the sea_

_Stronger than it's ever been_

_We've come so far since that day_

_And I thought I loved you then_

_(Then, _Brad Paisley)

__._.__

To be continued

_Have faith in me! I know that was super, incredibly short, sorry! Just kinda introducing it :) Please review, and I'll continue soon!_


	2. We've Come So Far Since That Day

Then

Chapter 2: We've Come So Far Since That Day

_Thanks so much for the reviews! And for the story alert/author alert adds…I just realized I never thank you guys, and you deserve thanks as well! So, thank you! I've been going back and forth between finishing this up, finishing up the next part of Whatever It Is, and writing a paper for class, so…this should be fun! :) _

_._._

"Look at me!" Erica came bounding down the stairs, into the kitchen. "Look!" she gracefully spun in a circle, showing off her new leotard and ballet slippers.

"Excited for ballet class tomorrow?" Chandler asked, loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Yep!" she skipped over to him.

"You're gonna be the cutest ballerina there," he leaned down, giving her a kiss on top of her head.

"Daddy, you cannot kiss the ballerinas," she stated, crossing her arms, and Monica just laughed. "And I'm not cute. I'm beautiful!"

"Yea, Daddy," Monica smiled at him.

"Look at me, too!" Phoebe ran into the kitchen wearing a dress-up tutu, quickly spinning in circles.

"Very pretty, also," Chandler nodded.

"Yea, but she's not a _real_ ballerina," Erica huffed, leaving the kitchen.

"Am, too! Am, too!" Phoebe followed her older sister, leaving both of their parents laughing.

__._._(flashbacks are in italics…in case that's not obvious…)_

"_Hey, Mon, look what I got! It's the cutest thing!" Chandler exclaimed, bouncing through the door of their apartment with a shopping bag, obviously in a good mood. He stopped, though, calming down when he saw her sitting on the couch, obviously not sharing his mood. "Honey, what's wrong," he walked over to where she was, sitting beside her._

_Monica shook her head. "It's nothing," she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "It's stupid."_

"_It's obviously something that's not __**too**__ stupid, if you're crying about it," Chandler said softly, touching the back of her head._

"_It's just, god, this is going to sound selfish," Monica looked down, twisting the tissue in her hand. "I just, I guess…"she trailed off after a moment, standing up. "Never mind," she turned and walked towards the bag he had left in the kitchen. "What did you get? Something for the baby?"_

"_Mon," Chandler walked over to her, and her fake smile again fell._

"_I guess I just thought that," she looked down, taking a deep, very shaky breath. "I thought that when we had a baby…it would be, well, __**our**__ baby," she whispered. "I know it's so selfish of me to say, because someone else is giving us their baby to raise, but," she paused again, looking up at him. "I want to be a mom."_

"_You are going to be a mom! You're going to be the __**best**__ mom!" _

"_No, Chandler," she again shook her head. "I want to be a mom," she repeated slowly, tears filling her eyes. "I want that part of it. I want those nine months. I want-I want to take a pregnancy test, and have it say 'yes,' and I want to have some ridiculously corny way of telling you about it," she continued. "I want the doctor's appointments, and the morning sickness, and feeling it kick. Feeling that connection," she leaned against the back of the couch. "I want people to ask me when I'm due, and-and I want to get mad at you because of the hormones," she gave him a very small smile, causing Chandler to smile as well. "I want all that," she whispered, and Chandler moved over to her. _

"_I know," he whispered, pulling her into his arms. "I want all that, too."_

"_It's just not fair," she said against his chest, and he held her close, closing his eyes to stop his own tears. "I mean, Ross has two kids, neither one on purpose. Two! And we can't even have one. God, what's wrong with me," Monica pulled back. "That was a horrible thing to say! I love Emma and Ben..."_

"_Nothing's wrong with you, Mon. I think, I think it's normal to feel that way," he said softly, playing with her hand. "But know what? You, __**we**__, may not get those nine months, but do you know what we get?" he paused. "Everything else! We're gonna be there when the baby is born, and we're gonna-we're gonna be there when they're crying all night and just won't stop," he smiled at her. "And, when they say their first word, take their first steps," he continued. "And, yea, they may not have your eyes or my smile, but, Mon, we'll be 'Mom' and 'Dad,'" he finished with a smile. "The rest really won't matter."_

_Monica smiled, tears in her eyes. "I know," she nodded, leaning in to kiss him. "I know," she repeated, settling into his arms as he wrapped them around her tightly. "Have you been practicing your make-me-feel-better speeches?" she added after a couple minutes of silence, causing Chandler to laugh._

"_In the mirror every morning!" he grinned and was happy when she returned it. _

"_So, what did you get?"_

"_Oh yea!" Chandler jumped up, grabbing the bag from the table. "I couldn't decide which of the two to get, so I just got both," he pulled out two onesies, and Monica's eyes again filled with tears. One was embroidered with "My Mommy Loves Me" and the other with "My Daddy Loves Me."_

"_They're perfect," Monica whispered, hugging him. "I love you so, so much."_

"_I love you, too," he kissed her on the lips before wiping away the last few lingering tears. "So, so much…"_

__._.__

Chandler smiled, watching Erica show the family what she learned at her first dance class, and Phoebe, who was following along as best she could. Jack rolled his eyes, not interested in watching his sisters' dance. When Erica finished with a curtsey, he sighed with relief as Chandler and Monica clapped for the girls.

"Finally!" Jack jumped up, running out of the living room.

"That was really good!" Monica pulled both of them in for a hug.

"No, **I** was really good," Erica crossed her arms. "**She** can't be. She doesn't even have real ballerina shoes," she stomped off.

"I do, too! I do, too!" Phoebe followed her out of the room. "They have little bows on them, see!"

Chandler laughed, pulling Monica back on the couch with him. "So, this is what I missed out on by being an only child."

"Oh, this and more," Monica laughed. "Just wait a few more years."

"Can't we just hit 'pause?' Like, stop them now, and keep them little forever?"

"I **don't** think they've come up with a remote for that yet," Monica teased, standing up. "And do you really want that part to last forever?" she motioned to the girls having an "am not!" "am too!" argument in the hallway.

"Eh," he shrugged, watching as she went to break up the fight. "Mon?"

"Hm?" she turned to face him.

"Love you," he smiled.

"Love you, too," she smiled back, lingering a moment longer before leaving the room. "Erica, Phoebe, what did I tell you earlier?"

Chandler just smiled. Yea, he would pause it right here if he could.

__._.__

_We've come so far since that day_

_And I thought I loved you then_

_(Then, Brad Paisley)_

__._.__

To be continued…

_I realize I haven't said exactly how old the kids are yet…and I just know someone is going to point that out in a review. So, I know you don't know, but be patient. You will find out soon, promise! Ok, now go review, because that will make me want to spend more of my study-breaks writing :)_


	3. My BlueEyed Girls

Then

Chapter 3: My Blue-Eyed Girls

"Erica, shoes," Chandler yelled up the stairs, knowing very well that she would come down, jacket on, backpack in hand, yet shoe-less. He had to get the kids ready for school this year, and though he was not quite as quick at it as Monica, after the first two weeks of school, he was getting there.

"Daddy," Chandler looked down at Phoebe, who was struggling to put her own shoes on. "These aren't mine," she stood up, and wiggled out of them.

"Erica, never mind, I found your shoes," he again yelled up the stairs. "So, are you excited for preschool today?" he asked Phoebe, picking her up as he went to the closet to find her shoes. She nodded in return.

"Dad, where's my backpack?" Jack came bouncing down the stairs. Chandler sighed. He often marveled at Monica's ability to get the kids up and out the door in the morning without this much of a struggle. "Never mind," he stopped, seeing it hanging next to the door.

"Erica, you ready yet?" he again yelled up the stairs, and this time she came down, long, blonde hair in un-even pigtails.

"I can't get my hairs to match," she made a face as she gestured to both sides of her head, and he couldn't help but laugh. He motioned her over, and undid her pigtails, redoing them so that they were even, and setting her shoes next to her feet. "Thanks, Daddy!" she jumped up, ready to go.

"Ok, let's get going!" he exclaimed, and the three followed him out the door. "Chandler: one. Bing kids…13," he mumbled to himself, pulling the door shut behind them.

_._._

"_Why won't she quit crying? Why won't she quit crying?" Chandler bounced around the half-unpacked nursery, having had a few too many cups of coffee that night. It was their first night in their new house, and their first night home with the babies._

"_I don't know, Chandler," Monica sighed. "Emma was like this, too, remember?"_

"_Yea, but Jack just went right to sleep! And they're twins, so shouldn't they be the same?"_

"_Yes, the exact same! I mean, they're even the same sex!" she snapped back sarcastically. "Here, you take her for a minute," she handed him the baby, standing up from the rocking chair. "I'll be right back."_

"_Hey, baby girl," he bounced her gently in his arms. "Why won't you quit crying? Huh, what's wrong?" he sat down in the rocking chair. "Babies like singing, right? God, why don't I know any baby songs," he rocked her gently, but she continued to cry. Jack, thankfully, was still sleeping. He had already woken up a half dozen times thanks to his screaming sister, but was at the moment sleeping._

"_Ok, a song, any song," he sighed. No song came to mind. None. "Ok, whatever, whatever, doesn't matter what song," he shrugged to himself. "Whatever," he paused, looking down as she screamed louder, amazed that such a little person could make such a loud noise. "Whatever-whatever happened to Tuesday and so slow," he started to sing, "Goin' down to the old mine, with a transistor radio. Standin' in the sunlight laughin', hidin' behind a rainbow's wall," he continued to sing softly, realizing she was beginning to calm down. "Slipin' and a slidin', all along the waterfall with you," he poked her nose, which she scrunched in return, "My blue-eyed girl," he changed the lyrics, smiling at the baby, who was now only whimpering. "Yea, you my, blue-eyed girl. Do you remember when we used to sing, sha la la la la la la la la la dee dah," he trailed off, looking up in victory. Monica was now standing in the doorway with amazement. He stood up slowly, grinning as he gently placed her in her crib before leaving the room with Monica._

"_You wanna do your happy dance now, don't you?" Monica whispered._

"_Like you wouldn't believe," he grinned, doing a slight jump in victory as they walked into their own room before collapsing onto the bed. "So, should we shoot for an hour of sleep?"_

"_God, I hope so," she collapsed next to him, on top of the covers. "Love you," she mumbled, half asleep already._

"_Love you, too."_

_._._

"Daddy, you don't have to walk us inside," Jack sighed as Chandler parked the car. "You can just drop us off in the front like everyone else. We're not in preschool anymore like Phoebe. In kindergarten, you just drop us off and we walk in."

"Ok, ok," Chandler pulled up closer to the school. "I'll see you guys tonight. Love you!"

"Love you, too, Daddy!"

"Love you!"

"Daddy?" Phoebe said as they pulled away from the school, heading towards her school.

"Yea, Phoebs?"

"You can walk me in school forever," he glanced at her big, blue eyes in his rearview mirror, and his heart melted, though he wasn't so sure she would feel the same in a year.

"Ok, Phoebs. I'll walk you into school forever."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

_._._

(lyrics adapted from _Brown Eyed Girl_, Van Morrison)

_._._

to be continued…

_Yea, I got on a roll writing the other night, so I thought I would post this as well. It makes me smile, so I thought it might make you smile as well. And I am working on the next part of Whatever It Is, I swear! Review, and I will, in fact, stop working on my papers, and continue to write fics instead. However…I don't see that being very good on my GPA…hm…Well, I'll continue as soon as I can, at least!_


	4. Laughed Until We Cried

Then

Chapter 4: Laughed Until We Cried

_Ok, seriously, this is the last part I have written so far, that I wrote the other night when I was on a roll writing… so…it actually WILL be a while before I update this again. I know I've been updating fast…who knew that if you don't write for like, 5 years, you have 5 years' worth of writing in your head that wants to come out?_

_._._

"Go long!" Ben yelled to his little cousin. In return, Phoebe opened her arms as wide as possible, not sure what he wanted her to do. Ben laughed. "No, run further," he motioned, so she did so, taking a few giant leaps forward. He and Chandler were playing football with all of the little kids in Chandler and Monica's backyard while Monica, Ross, and Rachel sat on the deck talking after having dinner. "This isn't tackle football, Em," he looked down at his sister, who was grabbing onto his leg so he couldn't walk.

"I can tackle you if I want to," Emma grinned at him.

"Phoebe, ready?" he looked at the little girl, who nodded, so he tossed her the ball.

"Yay! We win!" Erica shouted, jumping up and down as Phoebe caught the ball.

"We're not done yet, so you guys can't win yet," Jack crossed his arms. "And you're cheating! Emma is holding onto Ben!"

"Well, then we'll just have to cheat, too!" Chandler grabbed Phoebe, throwing her over his shoulder. She shrieked with laughter, her dark brown hair falling in her face. "Now, we have the ball!"

_._._

"_Mon?" Chandler walked through the door, surprised when he didn't find Monica in the kitchen, where she usually was when he got home. "Mon?" he set the mail on the counter before walking upstairs. _

"_Hey!" she quickly popped out of the twins' room, causing Chandler to jump. "Shh, they're still napping," she grinned. "And I don't care how late they are up tonight, because they are napping right now! Which is good, because I have a surprise for you!" she grabbed him by the hand, practically giddy, leading him into their room. _

"_Ooh, afternoon sex?" Chandler asked, getting what he referred to as a 'Monica look' in return._

"_Wait here," she stopped him, continuing into their bathroom._

"_Oh, great, 'cause all of my favorite surprises come from the bathroom!" he yelled after her, but she reappeared a second later, hands behind her back, unable to contain her grin. "What's going on, Mon?" her only answer was removing the small plastic stick from behind her back, and his mouth fell open. "What? No," he stepped forward in disbelief. "No way," he shook his head, and she motioned for him to follow her into the bathroom. "It's not possible…"_

"_It's not __**probable**__," she corrected. "Possible, not probable," she grinned, moving from her spot in front of the bathtub so that he could see behind her. There were at least 20 more pregnancy tests lining the bathtub. All positive. _

"_Oh my god!" he pulled her in kissing her passionately before hugging her tightly, spinning her in circles. "Oh my god," he repeated, still holding her in his arms, not bothering to try to hide the tears in his eyes. "So," he pulled back, "how hard did the person checking you out laugh at you for buying a coupe hundred dollar's worth of pregnancy tests?"_

"_Way to ruin the moment, by the way," Monica hit him, teasingly. "But, oh, she was smirking, especially since I already had two babies with me," Monica laughed, and Chandler's eyes widened, but she continued. "But I wanted to be 200 percent sure that it wasn't just a false positive. Or two or three or…ten…false positives."_

"_Holy shit, we're gonna have __**three**__ babies," Chandler said, referring to the four-month-old twins in the next room. "Three!"_

"_And a year ago we were struggling for one!" she grinned, which he couldn't help but return. "__**I'm**__ going to have a baby."_

"_Oh my god, Mon," he squeezed her tight, kissing the top of her head._

"_This is good right now, right?"_

"_This is good anytime," he pulled back, wanting to look her in the eye. "Really, really, really good."_

"_Good," she smiled, hugging him again._

"_So," Chandler pulled back. "How did you pee enough for all of those?"_

"_And the winner for the most jokes at the most inappropriate time is…" _

"_You're not used to me yet?"_

_Monica laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "No, I am. And I had two big gulps of tea," she motioned to the two over-sized gas station cups on the counter. "I love you so, so, so, so much," she smiled up at him, tears still in her eyes. "I just can't believe it, ya know?"_

"_Me, neither," Chandler agreed, wiping a few tears from her cheeks. Those were the good kind of tears. Happy tears. Leaning down to place a small kiss on her temple, he sighed with content. "I love you so, so, so, so much, too…" he trailed off, resting his forehead against her. "And a couple million more so's…"_

_._._

"No fair, no fair!" Phoebe continued to laugh, wiggling in her father's arms. Erica ran over in her defense, grabbing his legs to try to stop him from moving.

"Here, Jack," Chandler tossed him the ball, and Jack took it, running up to the deck with it.

"Now we win, 'cause you can't get the ball back!" he yelled as he ran up the stairs, and into his mother's arms.

"Not fair, not fair!!" the girls all yelled from down below, Chandler and Ben practically doubled over in laughter.

"They can't get the ball back, so I win!" Jack held up the football in victory, causing the three adults not involved in the game to laugh as well.

"Your kids," Rachel motioned to Ross, "and your kids," she motioned to Monica. "Why on Earth would this game get competitive?"

_._._

_And my mind went back to a few years ago_

_When we tried so long_

_We almost gave up hope_

_And I remember you_

_Comin' in and tellin' me the news_

_Oh man we were livin'_

_Goin' crazy in the kitchen_

_We danced and screamed and held each other tight_

_We laughed until we cried_

_(Laughed Until We Cried_, Jason Aldean)

_._._

to be continued

_._._

_I feel the need to say that…anything you're probably wondering, is something that will be answered in an upcoming chapter. And, I SWEAR to god, I am working on Whatever It Is. It's just that this super mushy, overly sweet, kinda makes you wanna puke a little bit stuff comes to me so much easier than the more comedy-esque stuff. Unless you want me to change it from being funny, and, like, kill Chandler. Huh. I could kill Chandler. Hm. I'll go ponder that one while I read some stuff for world civ *grumbles* stupid freshman level class I have to take 'cause I changed my major…._

_Now, go review, please :)_


	5. Perfection

Then

Chapter 5: Perfection

"Knock knock," Jack said.

"Who's there?" Chandler responded, sitting on the couch next to him.

"Interrupting cow."

"Interrupting co-"

"Moo!" he cut him off, laughing, and Chandler laughed as well. "Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Tank."

"Tank who?"

"You're welcome!" he exclaimed, and Chandler burst out laughing.

"You ready to eat, buddy?" he asked, standing up, and the little boy nodded, following him into the kitchen.

_._._

"_Ooh!" Monica gripped her stomach with one hand, and the blanket in front of her with the other._

"_Mon, you ok?" Chandler asked, sitting up._

"_No, no, no!"_

"_No, no, no, you're not ok?" Chandler asked, starting to panic. "Or, no, no, no something else?"_

"_Well, I've been better, but…I've been having contractions, and I've been trying to ignore them, because the baby cannot be born today! I'm not due for another two weeks, and we already have two kids with this birthday. We cannot have three!"_

"_What?!" Chandler jumped up. "Get up, get up! You're in labor?! We have to go to the hospital!"_

"_No! I am not having three kids with the same birthday! Not gonna happen!" she crossed her arms. "You are not being born today," she looked down at her stomach._

_Chandler laughed out loud. "Mon, honey, love of my life…I __**really**__ don't think you can be stubborn about __**this**__," he smiled. "And, this is actually a good thing, because my mom's here for the twins' birthdays, so she can just stay here with them."_

_Monica teared up, "What kind of mom misses their kids' first birthday?"_

_"Mon-" she cut him off, gripping his hand tightly._

"_Ok," she nodded a few minutes later after breathing through the pain. "We can go to the hospital now."_

__._.__

"_Can you say 'baby?'" Chandler asked Erica, who was in his arms. They were looking through the nursery window at the hospital._

"_Bebe!" she grinned. She had begun speaking a couple of months ago, and at 12 months old, had a vocabulary of quite a few words. They had been practicing that word for the past month in preparation for her sister's birth. He wasn't sure she knew what it meant, but she knew her parents got a kick out of it. _

"_That's right," he hugged her, "That's your sister, Phoebe," he pointed her out. Erica followed his finger, but really had no idea what he was pointing at._

"_Bebe!" she repeated, and Chandler laughed. It worked for her name, too. Bebe. Pheobe._

_It had been a long night. A really long night. Monica was in labor for 22 hours, an insanely long time for someone so impatient. But now, it was over. And the next day. Phoebe had not been born on the twins' birthday, but on the next day. Monica was ecstatic that it took so long when she found this out. Nora has stayed with them over night, and Monica's parents had joined for a little while the next day. The babies had no idea they were missing out on their first birthday, but Monica felt incredibly guilty about it and had sent her parents to substitute for them being gone. Nora had joined them at the hospital an hour earlier, and Jack and Judy should be arriving any moment. _

"_Dada," Chandler turned around, hearing Jack. Baby jack, not grown up Jack._

"_Hey, buddy!" he kissed him, then hugged Judy, who was holding him._

"_Congratulations," she smiled at him. "Jack is in Monica's room. She just woke up, so I told her I'd come find you."_

"_Bebe!" Erica exclaimed again, and Chandler and Judy laughed, walking back to Monica's room._

__._.__

_Chandler stopped in the doorway of Monica's room, cup of coffee in hand. Monica was holding Phoebe. Erica and Jack were both sitting on the bed as well, amazed at the little baby. Wanting to see her, touch her, kiss her, hold her. Erica soon learned that "Bebe" was this little girl, and kept saying it to her, wanting to her to respond. Grown-up Jack was sitting in one of the chairs, watching a baseball game on TV. Judy and Nora were on the other side of the room talking. Ross and Rachel were now missing, but he figured they went to take Emma home. _

_Seeing the scene in front of him, Chandler's eyes watered up. This was his. His family. His wife. His kids. They were, in fact, The Bings. And they were, in fact, happy. Monica looked up, seeing him in the doorway. She returned his smiled. Chandler tried, unsuccessfully, to blink away his tears as he walked over to the bed, kissing her as he sat down._

_This was the definition of perfection._

_._._

"Knock knock," Jack said, entering the kitchen.

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who."

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Orange."

"Orange who?"

"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" Jack giggled, slipping into his seat, between his two sisters.

"That's a dumb joke," Erica said, taking a drink of her milk. "You tell a joke, Daddy!"

"Um, a guy walks into a bar-"

"Chandler," Monica warned.

"He says 'ouch!'" he looked at her, not about to tell an inappropriate joke. Erica and Jack laughed, and Phoebe wrinkled her forehead, not quite understanding.

"Jack," she looked at him. "You tell another one. You're funnier than Daddy."

"From the mouths of babes," Monica laughed, nudging Chandler, who was still laughing.

Yea, this was perfection.

_._._

_I could just see you, with a baby on the way_

_And I could just see you, when your hair is turning gray_

_What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more_

_But I've said that before_

_And now you're my whole life_

_now you're my whole world_

_I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl_

_We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in_

_And I'll look at you and say_

_And I thought I loved you then_

_(Then_, Brad Paisley_)_

_._._

to be continued…

_Gum would be perfection. Haha. I use the word "perfection" all the time, and always have the urge to add, "Gum would be perfection." However, I'm not sure how many people would actually get that, so…I just add it in my head._

_Anyway, I decided not to do the actual being born part of this because I know that I, personally, have at least 3 or 4 fics involving a scene where Monica and Chandler's kid is being born. And I didn't want to write another one, and figured you guys could live without one._

_Please review! I have parts of the next two chapter written, so the more reviews, the more motivation I have to finish them!_


	6. And I Lost It

Then

Chapter 6: And I Lost It

"Hey, you," Chandler crawled into bed, still completely dressed, and snuggled up next to Monica from behind.

"By 'late' I didn't think you meant this late," she mumbled in return, already half-asleep.

"I know. I got caught up at work. Stupid presentation in the morning," he kissed her neck. "But don't worry, I'm quitting tomorrow.

"No, you're not," she smiled, turning to kiss him.

"No, I'm not," he smiled in return, kissing her again.

_._._

_Chandler came in through the garage door, closing it softly behind him. The last thing he wanted was three screaming babies. Since it was late enough for them to be asleep, he knew he would already have an angry Monica, and that was enough. Seeing her sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, he assumed reading the magazine in front of her, he figured that was happening very soon._

"_You used to call," Monica said meekly as Chandler set his briefcase down, not even looking up. "When you were going to be late, you used to call. And then you used to call when you were on your way home," she played with the corner of the magazine in front of her. "You never call anymore," she finally looked up at him._

"_Mon, it's been a long day, I have to be back to work at 7 tomorrow. Can we just talk about this later?" he sighed, loosening his tie._

"_When, Chandler? When are we going to talk about it? We never see each other! And when we do, we don't talk!" her voice was elevated, but not quite yelling. More pleading. At the silence she received in return, she threw up her arms. "Ya know what? If this," she motioned between them with the magazine, "is how we're gonna be, then I quit. This is a two person game, and I'm sick of doing it alone! I'm done!" she threw the magazine down on the counter._

"_If that's how you're gonna be, fine!" Chandler raised his own voice. "But I know how much you hate to lose, so I won't make you quit. I'll do it for you," he grabbed his jacket from on top of his briefcase, slamming the door shut on his way out._

_Monica sank back down onto the barstool, leaning her elbows against the counter, willing the tears not to come. How had they come to this?_

_Before she even had time to finish that thought, Chandler was back in the door, arms around her from behind. He hadn't even closed the door on the way back in. "I''ll never leave," he whispered into her hair, and she could feel his warm tears against her neck. "Never, never, never," he added, and she turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I just…I miss…_**us**_…"_

"_Me, too," Monica nodded, wiping away her own tears._

"_They don't tell you how fucking hard this is going to be," he shook his head. "Marriage and kids should come with some sort of book or instruction manual or something. Marriage: for dummies." _

_Monica laughed slightly at his attempted joke, and he sank down onto the stool next to her. "I miss you," she looked at him, and he nodded._

"_I miss you, too."_

"_I could quit. Sell my part of the catering business. I'll be home every night then. Every weekend," she offered. _

_Almost a year before, one of their neighbors had brought up her dream of starting a catering business earmarked especially towards weddings. When Monica said she had some experience catering, had tons of experience in the food business, and was looking for work without the commute to the city, their idea had fallen into place. It was called 'Happily Ever After,' and thanks to word of mouth and a few of Monica's loyal customers from the restaurant, it had very quickly turned into quite a success. Maybe too much of a success. _

_Though she had started out helping with the food preparation, she now ran a lot of the business and planning portion of it (she __**was**__ Monica, after all), and ended up being gone at a lot of events when Chandler could be home with the kids. It worked better that way, or so they had thought. They were only thinking about being with the kids. It hadn't crossed their minds that they would never see each other._

_"Don't do that," Chandler took her hands in his. "You love your job."_

_"I love you more," she squeezed his hand._

_Chandler sighed. "Don't quit your job. We'll figure this out. It's just a rough spot right now. Most people think three kids under three is crazy, and we have three kids under two. Which __**is**__ a little crazy," he laughed. "But, maybe __**we're**__ a little crazy. But, good crazy," he smiled. "We'll make it."_

"_I know," Monica nodded. "It just really sucks right now."_

"_Really, really sucks," he agreed, and they both looked up at the crying coming from upstairs._

"_I'll get her, before she wakes up Jack and Erica, too," Monica stood up._

"_Mon?" she stopped and looked back. "Do you work this Friday?" she shook her head. "Wanna see if Ross and Rachel can babysit? Maybe go out, ya know, on a date? Or whatever the kids are calling it these days?"_

_Monica smiled. "I'd like that."_

"_K," he smiled in return, grabbing his briefcase and jacket he had tossed on the floor. He closed the garage door, and smiled. His first real smile in weeks._

_._._

"What do you think you're doing, mister?" Monica laughed as Chandler continued to plant kisses on various parts of her body.

"Mmm, I'm still dressed," he pointed to his dress shirt and pants. "I figured I could persuade you to help me with that predicament," he grinned, kissing her neck again. "What time do you have to work tomorrow?"

"Jeanie's taking care of my clients until 10 so I can take the kids to school since someone has a big presentation in the morning," she started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Well, don't I just have the best wife ever?" he pulled at her shirt. She was sleeping in one of his old t-shirts that was ten times too big for her. But, god, did he love it when she slept in his old shirts.

"Probably. But, no to this," she pulled his hand away. "You're the one who needs help undressing, remember?"

"Oh, yea," he feigned ignorance, letting her pull his shirt and undershirt off.

"What time are you getting up?"

"5. But, really, sleep is overrated," he kissed her again. "I love you so much, Mon," he whispered, playing with her hair.

"I love you, too, Chandler."

_._._

_Well the honeymoon ended and life began_

_Jobs and bills, losing touch with friends_

_And that apartment got smaller every day_

_Then one night the walls finally closed in_

_I came home late, she said 'Where've ya been?_

_You used to call and tell me you're on your way'_

_She said 'If this is how it's gonna be, then I quit'_

_She walked out the door_

_I lost it_

_I picked myself up off the floor_

_She walked back through the door_

_And we made love like it was the first time_

_No one can make me cry_

_Make me laugh_

_Make me smile_

_Or drive me mad like she does_

_It's like a curse that is the cure_

_Better or worse, one thing's for sure_

_It's real love and I don't know what I'd do_

_If I lost it_

_Oh, if I lost it_

_I don't wanna lose it_

_(I Lost It_, Kenny Chesney_)_

_._._

to be continued….

_This fic just makes me smile as I write it. I'm such a freaking sap, haha. And I have no idea how long this is going to be, overall. But, you can never have too much Mondler mush, right? _

_K. So, go review, and I'll keep trying to update fast :)_


	7. Three Feet Tall and Full of Questions

Then

Chapter 7: Three Feet Tall and Full of Questions

_In response to something brought up by Venused, I don't make Chandler as angsty as I used to because the older, wiser me has decided there is too much of that sh** in real life. Here in fic world, we don't need that :) Just some happy, mushy fluff._

_Oh, but I have actually been dying to write something more dramatic one of these days. We'll see what I come up with…_

_._._

"Daddy?" Erica came into the living room, where Chandler was sitting, laptop in front of him.

"Hm?" he looked up. Erica sighed, sitting down next to him, hugging the doll in her arms. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I just wondered why," she looked down at her doll, picking at its hair. "Why didn't my first mommy love me?"

Chandler's heart sank seeing the hurt and confusion on his daughter's face. He moved the computer from his lap, scooting closer to her. "Erica, she loved you. She loved you very, very much."

"Then why didn't she want me?" she looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Although they had always talked openly about adoption, and read books about it to the twins from a very young age, he knew that this day was coming eventually, especially now that they were in school.

"She knew that she couldn't take care of you herself, and she wanted someone who could."

"But why did she have to herself? Why couldn't she get someone to help her?"

"She was very young," he started, wishing Monica was there. Monica would be better at this.

"So why did she have a baby if she was so young?"

"Well, sometimes God has different plans than we do," he pulled her onto his lap. "And your first mom wasn't ready to have kids, but we wanted kids very, very much. And she loved you **so** much, that she wanted someone who could take care of you since she couldn't. And when she met us, she knew that we could."

_._._

"_I hate my hair," Erica stomped into the kitchen, where Monica and Phoebe were eating breakfast._

"_Why, sweetie?" Monica pulled her in for a hug._

"_Because it's blonde," she sat down in a huff, pushing the bowl in front of her away._

"_But it's so pretty, Erica," Monica touched her hair, but Erica pulled away._

"_Aunt Phoebe has blonde hair!" Phoebe exclaimed._

"_But you don't," she looked at her sister. "And you don't," she looked her mom. "And Daddy doesn't. And Jack doesn't even," she folded her arms across her chest, sulking._

"_You have blue eyes," Phoebe said, taking a bite of her cereal. "And I have blue eyes. And Jack has blue eyes. And Mommy has blue eyes. And Daddy has blue eyes," she took another bite of cereal, and her sister began to smile._

_Monica smiled at the two girls; she couldn't have said it better herself. _

_._._

"Is she pretty?" Erica asked.

"Very pretty. Just like you," he kissed the top of her head.

"And that's why my name is Erica, too?"

"That's why your name is Erica, too," he squeezed her tightly.

"Are you and Mommy ever going to get rid of me and Jack?" she looked up at him.

"Never, never, never. We are always and forever going to be your Mommy and Daddy," he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Promise?"

"Promse," he kissed her nose, and she smiled before wiggling out of his arms. "And you know why?" she shook her head. "Because I love you this much," he held his arms out.

Erica laughed, familiar with their private game. "This much?" she held her arms out as wide as she could.

"Huh-uh," he stretched his arms out again, leaning back into the couch. "_This_ much."

"_This_ much," she stood on her tip-toes, arms outstretched, and he nodded. Giggling, she wrapped her arms around her father's neck. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, baby," he pulled her back into his lap.

"Love you more," she smiled mischievously. He tickled her suddenly, and she collapsed into a fit of giggles on his lap, and he pulled her into a tight hug.

He laughed, too. Years ago, when they found out that they might never have a child of their own, they had been devastated. Beyond devastated. At the time, it had been the worst news of their lives.

They couldn't have _been_ more wrong.

_._._

_Three feet tall and full of questions_

_You must have thought I was the smartest man alive_

_I didn't always have the answers_

_To every little how and where and why_

_Like, "Daddy, why's the sky so blue today?"_

_"Does Jesus really hear me when I pray?"_

_"When I grow up, will I be just like you?"_

_"Will I be tall and strong and brave?"_

_There is no power on earth like your fathers' love_

_So big and so strong as your father's love_

_A promise that's sacred, a promise from heaven above_

_No matter where you go... always know_

_You can depend on your father's love_

_(Father's Love_, Bob Carlisle)

__._.__

_I did research on talking to kids about adoption before I wrote this chapter. I knew when I started writing this fic that I couldn't just not touch on the subject. So, voila! Hope it was ok :) Review, please and thanks!_


	8. The Way You Look Tonight

Then

Chapter 8: The Way You Look Tonight

_Ongoing apology: If I ever misspell Erica as Ericka, it's because that's how my best friend spells her name. I've tried to catch it every time, but…just incase one sneaks in there…_

_And also, sorry I haven't focused much on Monica; I'm just more of a Chandler writer. I'll try to make it a little more even, though :)_

_._._

"Erica! Jack!" Monica yelled out the front door, into the seemingly never-ending rain. It had been raining all week. "What are you guys doing out here, you're soaked!" she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head, stepping out onto the porch. "Where is your dad?" she added, since Chandler was supposed to be watching them. The two pointed to their father, also playing in the rain with Phoebe.

"Mommy!" Phoebe exclaimed, seeing her mother outside now as well. "Come play with us," she ran up to her, pulling on her arm. "Chandler, what are you doing? You're all going to catch a cold out here!" she stood, firmly planted to her spot beneath the overhang, not about to get wet.

"Well, then we'll all have to just call in sick tomorrow and stay here and watch movies all day," he grinned, to which Monica gave him a look.

"Come on, Mom," Phoebe again pulled at her arm.

"Yea, come on, Mom," Chandler repeated as Erica ran up behind him, splashing him with the water from the puddle at his feet. Chandler laughed, grabbing her and spinning in circles with her in the rain.

Monica smiled. It was tempting…

"Mommy, please?" Phoebe repeated, sticking out her bottom lip. "Spin with me in the rain?"

Monica sighed, giving in. "Fine, but only for five minutes, and then we're all going inside and having hot chocolate and changing!" Phoebe grinned in victory, then held her arms out to be picked up. Monica did so, spinning with her in the rain.

_._._

"_Mon, Mon, Mon," Chandler came running into their bedroom, Phoebe in his arms. Monica was sitting on their bed, working at her computer. _

"_What, what's wrong?!" she slammed the laptop closed, jumping to her feet and rushing over to the baby._

"_Nothing's wrong," he grinned. "Watch," he smiled down at the little girl, taking her hand in his. "Who am I, Phoebs?" he pointed at himself._

"_Da!" she grinned in delight._

"_Da! Did you hear that!" Chandler literally jumped up and down. "She said her first word. I'm her first word!"_

_Monica laughed, kissing Phoebe, and then kissing him. Both Jack and Erica had said "mama" first, and she knew that, though he would never admit it, it had bothered him to no end._

"_Wait, did you leave two two-year-olds downstairs alone? With the markers they were using?" Monica raised her eyebrows, taking Phoebe from his arms._

"_Shit," Chandler immediately turned to leave the room._

"_Language!" she yelled after him, since the twins had started repeating everything that was said around them._

"_Sorry," he yelled in reply, already halfway down the stairs. _

"_Da," Phoebe again repeated, looking quite proud of herself._

"_That's right, Da," Monica returned her smile. "You're a daddy's girl, aren't you?"_

"_Da!" she repeated, and Monica laughed._

"_What about Ma," Monica tried to persuade her. "Can you say Ma? Mama?"_

"_Da!" she again repeated, and Monica couldn't help but smile, hugging the little girl closer._

"_I guess I'll let your daddy enjoy his moment…"_

_._._

"Down, down, down," Phoebe wiggled. "I'm dizzy!" she laughed as Monica let her go, and she stumbled for a moment from the spinning.

"Can I cut in here?" Monica asked, Chandler still spinning with Erica in circles, and Erica squealing each time he suddenly changed directions.

"What's that mean?" Erica wrinkled her forehead.

"It means, you go try to splash your brother," Chandler set her down, and Erica happily did so, immediately taking off in Jack's direction. "Hey, you," Chandler wrapped his arms around her, giving her a quick kiss.

"Hey," she replied, letting him lead her as they began to dance in the rain.

"Some day," he whispered, leaning his head against hers. "When I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel aglow just thinking of you," he continued to whisper. "And the way you look tonight…" he trailed off.

"Is that it?" Monica pulled back, looking at him, smiling.

"That's the only verse I can ever remember," he admitted with a laugh. "Though, as your favorite song, I should really commit the rest to memory sometime, huh?"

"Probably," she whispered, enjoying his warmth, barely even noticing the rain around them. "Hey, know what this reminds me of?" she pulled back slightly, and Chandler nodded.

"The time in college that Ross got us locked out of your parents house and we were all three stuck out in the rain?"

"Yea. My parents trusted leaving him in charge of their house while they were out of town, and, god, why were we even all outside?" she looked up at Chandler.

"No idea," he shrugged. "But he was yelling at you, soaking wet from the rain, pissed, because it was somehow all your fault, and he didn't want your parents to get mad, but they would obviously find out if he went to a neighbor for a key…"

"And you just started dancing in the rain, completely ridiculously, being all Chandler," she laughed at the memory.

"Which made him even more mad," he added.

"Definitely. And he was just dying for me to be on his side, and to yell at you for that as well," Monica laughed.

"And, instead, you danced with me in the rain," he grinned at her.

"And, instead, I danced with you in the rain," she nodded in agreement, still smiling at the memory of their college-aged selves, dancing in the middle of the street in the pouring rain as Ross yelled and yelled.

"If I'd only been smarter then," he kissed her again.

"Eww!" Jack and Ericka both cried out at the sight of their parents kissing.

"Well, then, don't look at it," Chandler made a playful face at them, and they both ran towards the house as their parents started kissing again.

"Well, I like watching you guys kiss," Phoebe stated as they pulled apart, walking towards the house as well.

"And why is that, Phoebs?" Chandler asked, and the little girl just smiled back at them.

"Because it's beautiful."

_._._

(_The Way You Look Tonight_, Frank Sinatra)

to

be

continued….

_._._

_Seriously, writing mush always makes me grin like an idiot at my computer screen, haha. Anyway, the next two weeks are crazy busy for me at school, plus I got another job, and I found a grad student to most probably do research for, so…yea. I'll try to remember to take time to write every once in a while. It's pretty therapeutic for me. Like, I didn't really have time to do this, but it definitely took my mind off of my test, which is good, because my head was about to explode. And exploding heads are no good for anyone._

_Also, I have two new series in the works. Trying to decide which one to work on the most seriously first, though…maybe I'll try to end this one first. Maybe. We'll see. Just an inside look in my brain…_

_Anyway, review, please and thanks :)_


	9. In My Daughter's Eyes

Then

Chapter 9: In My Daughter's Eyes

_Sorry for lack of any type of updates lately—My "relaxing" summer has been anything but! I meant to have this done by Mother's Day…ha, that didn't happen! _

_._._

Monica lay in bed, awake, but listening carefully to what was going on downstairs. She knew the Mother's Day tradition well by now, and only hoped this year's attempt at making breakfast would be better than last. Last year, Erica had insisted on helping make omelets, of all things, which turned out completely inedible. Phoebe and Jack had somehow burned an entire loaf of bread beyond edibility in the time it took Chandler to pour each of them a glass of juice. However, none of the three realized the meal was not at all edible. Chandler had slyly slipped a bowl of cereal on the tray as well, wanting her to be able to eat something. She tried a bite of everything, grinning bravely, the way only a mother could.

"Mommy, are you still in bed?" Phoebe's small voice yelled up the stairs, and Monica laughed. Though the tradition made it not a surprise, the breakfast in bed was supposed to be a surprise. Little Phoebe didn't quite understand that.

"Yea, still up here, sweetie!"

"K. Stay right there!" she yelled again, and Monica just laughed, hearing Erica's angry voice, assuming she was mad that Phoebe was ruining the "surprise." Erica's angry voice was followed by Chandler's softer voice, and then the clinging of silverware and the shuffling of feet. Monica laughed; Jack was the first one coming. He was, of course, running, not walking.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" Jack ran into the room, Phoebe on his heels, as he jumped onto her bed.

"Happy Mother's Day!" Phoebe echoed, handing her a flower from their garden.

"Happy Mother's Day," Erica added, not as enthusiastic as she entered with the tray of food. She was obviously not happy the other two had not waited for her.

"We made pancakes!" Phoebe bounced up and down next to her brother, who pushed her away.

"You did?!" Monica smiled, taking the tray from Erica, who sat down on the other side of Monica.

"Daddy and me made the pancakes," Erica whispered. "They didn't do anything," she shook her head, motioning to her siblings. Monica laughed, shifting her attention to the photo sitting in the middle of the tray. It was the picture they sent out for Christmas Cards the year before.

~.~.~

"_Why are we getting Christmas card pictures, or holiday card pictures, or whatever you want to call them, taken in September?" Chandler asked, pulling at his sweater as they walked into the portrait studio._

"_You're worse than the kids," Monica grabbed his hand, and he stopped fidgeting._

"_Mom, it's hot out," Jack pushed his sleeves up. "And it's not Christmas yet," he pointed out. "It's not even Halloween yet."_

"_You're wrinkling your shirt," Monica pulled his sleeves back down. "And we need to get them done early so we get them back in time for the holidays."_

"_And by holidays you mean Halloween?" Jack quipped, and Monica glared at Chandler when he snickered at Jack's remark. Monica just sighed, turning to the man at the front desk, giving him an apologetic look in advance._

_The first apologetic look Monica had given to the photographer would not cut it for long. The session lasted much, much longer than expected. Either someone wasn't smiling, or no one was smiling, or someone was whining, or three out of five of them were whining, or someone was sneezing, or grimacing, or giving someone else bunny ears in every single picture._

"_Say cheese," the photographer tried to feign enthusiasm, about to give up on The Bings._

"_Hey, what do you call cheese that isn't yours?" Chandler interjected._

"_What?" Phoebe asked, not even turning to look at him._

"_Nacho cheese!" he exclaimed, to which both girls laughed. Monica shot him a dirty look, and Jack completely ignored him._

_And that's the picture they sent out in cards. Jack in front of Chandler, the only one smiling at the camera. Erica in front of Monica, looking back at Chandler, both of them laughing. Phoebe in the middle, head thrown back in laughter. And Monica beside Chandler, giving him a look he was all too familiar with._

_A perfect portrait of The Bings._

~.~.~

Monica smiled at the picture, laughing at the now fond memory, though it hadn't seemed so at the time.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mon." Chandler sat beside her, brushing his lips against her cheek.

"Give her, her present!" Jack exclaimed.

"This isn't my present?" Monica motioned to the food in front of her, and all three of the kids shook their heads.

"You guys really need to work on the whole 'surprise' thing," Chandler laughed, pulling a small box out of his jeans pocket.

"Chandler," Monica objected, sensing from the small, jewelry-sized box he had spent way too much for a Mother's Day gift.

"Just open it, Mon," he handed her the box, and she hesitantly took it, opening it slowly. Her look of objection slowly faded into a smile as she saw the necklace inside, three emeralds in the middle of a small pendant. "It's supposed to be one of those things with all of your kids' birthstones, but, well, the all have the same one, so," Chandler trailed off with a shrug.

"No, no, it's perfect!" Monica threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking over the tray of food in the process. "I love you," she kissed him quickly. "Thanks, guys," she added to the kids, who all shrugged, not very excited about jewelry.

"Mommy, I got you a present, too!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"You did?"

"Yep! Since you love cleaning so much, I decided you can clean my room for me today," she grinned. If she hadn't been four-years-old, and hadn't completely, genuinely meant it, Monica might have been less than thrilled about the smart-alec seeming gift. But she was four. And she did mean it sincerely.

"Thanks, Phoebs," she laughed, pulling her into her lap. "Do me a favor, though?"

"What?"

"Never, ever grow up, ok?" She squeezed her tight, and Phoebe nodded in agreement.

"K!"

~.~.~

_In my daughter's eyes I can see the future_

_A reflection of who I am and what will be_

_Though she'll grow and someday leave_

_Maybe raise a family_

_When I'm gone I hope you see how happy_

_she made me_

_For I'll be there_

_In my daughter's eyes_

_(In My Daughter's Eyes_, Martina McBride_)_

~.~.~

to be continued…

_Ok, so I'm thinking, I'm gonna wrap this up… I have other ideas, and I can only do two series at once, and not many people seem to be interested in this anymore. Maybe I'll write a pretty long epilogue, if you people want? That's what I'm thinking. Maybe one more part, two at the most. Anyway, review and let me know!_


	10. Epilogue: Then They Do

Then

Epilogue: Then They Do

_In memory of "Ace" :)_

~.~

"Papa, Papa, Papa!" Little Aiden attempted to run out the front door to Chandler, who was sitting on the front porch, waiting for the rest of the Bing clan to arrive. In his arms was a pile of scrapbooks stacked so high he couldn't see over them, and he nearly tripped on his way over to Chandler. "Daddy says these have pictures of him when he was little and you when you weren't really old!"

Chandler laughed at the tact that was lost on his six-year-old grandson. "They sure do!" He smiled at the little boy, scooping him up onto his lap, setting the books on the bench next to them.

"This one first!" Aiden grabbed one of the scrapbooks, opening it to a page in the middle. "You put the words with the pictures," he explained, looking up at Chandler, playing a familiar game. When they went to read a book, Chandler often told him 'You put the words with the pictures,' meaning it was his turn to make up the story instead of reading the book to him. Chandler just smiled at the first picture he opened it to: little Jack, Erica, and Phoebe sitting on top of a bunk bed in a bright yellow bedroom, all three grinning mischievously.

~.~

"_Ten little monkeys jumping on the bed," Phoebe sang, attempting to jump of the top bunk of her and Erica's brand new bunk bed, "One fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said," she paused, waiting for Erica to finish the rhyme._

"_No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed," Erica jumped as well, shaking her finger at Phoebe as if scolding her._

"_Nine little monkeys jumping on the bed," Phoebe continued, stopping when Jack walked in._

"_I wanna play, too!" He climbed up the ladder, and both girls shrugged, continuing to jump as he joined in._

"_One fell off and bumped his head," Phoebe continued. "Mama called the doctor and the doctor said-"_

"_No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Chandler entered the room, startling the three, who sat down, immediately stopping jumping. "What do you guys think you're doing?" He crossed his arms, and received three innocent gazes in return._

"_Jumping on the bed?" Jack offered meekly, and Chandler had to put in a lot of effort to keep a straight face. _

"_Are you supposed to be jumping on the bed?" Chandler continued._

"_No?" Phoebe whispered. "Because we might fall off and bump our head?" she continued in the same sing-song voice she had been using earlier. Chandler again fought to contain his amusement at his children since they were supposed to be being punished. _

"_Yes, or worse," Chandler shifted his gaze across the three._

"_We're sorry," Erica offered, the other two nodding in agreement, and he smiled this time._

"_Thank you for apologizing," he said before walking towards the door. "Now, no more monkeys jumping on the bed, or monkeys will be in bed right after dinner." Off the whines he got in return to his threat, he turned back around, and the three stopped whining._

"_No more monkeys jumping on the bed," Phoebe again sang, and Chandler fought to contain his laughter at the sad intonation of her voice._

"_Okay, now come down for dinner," he added, grinning as he turned around, trying to gauge how mad Monica would be at the situation, and if she would find it as adorable and amusing as he had…_

~.~

"Daddy never lets _me_ jump on the bed!" Aiden exclaimed, protesting the unfairness of the situation. "How come he got to and I don't! When I have kids, they can jump on lots of beds!"

Chandler laughed, turning to the next page, but Aiden flipped through a few more to the last page in the first book.

"This one now," he pointed to the picture a picture of Chandler and the three kids at the beach, grey sky behind them, all of them looking incredibly unhappy. Chandler again laughed; that hadn't been their best trip to the beach.

~.~

"_But, Mo-om, I have to pe-eeee!" Phoebe bounced up and down. _

"_Phoebs, we just got your swimsuit back on." Monica looked down as they walked out of the house _

"_Mommy, I have to go __**now**__," her eyes widened dramatically, and Monica motioned for Chandler to get the other two kids into the car as she took Phoebe back inside._

"_Uh, Dad?" Jack looked up at the sky, sunny only hours earlier, that now looked rather ominous._

"_I know," Chandler sighed. "Your mom insists it's not going to rain, though. The weather forecast said 85 and sunny today, and she refuses to believe it's going to rain and ruin our trip."_

"_But it's all cloudy and chilly," Erica wrapped her arms around herself before climbing into the car._

"_I know," Chandler nodded. "Ice cream on the way home, though, even if it rains and ruins everything?" he offered, receiving two fierce head nods._

"_Okay, let's go!" Monica exclaimed as she and Phoebe got into the car._

"_Mommy, can we still go swimming if it rains?" Phoebe asked, seeing the dark clouds and few sprinkles on the windshield. Chandler snickered as Phoebe brought up what he had been saying all morning. Monica just sighed, still not about to give in._

"_Honey, it's not going to rain!"_

_Three hours later, after getting rained on three separate times, and after countless whining, refusing to swim, and three grumpy children huddled in towels, Monica finally gave in, realizing the weather had, in fact, defeated her on this occasion. _

"_Fine," she looked at the three children, and Chandler who had now joined them, wrapped in his own two towels in an attempt to warm up. "But, we're taking a picture first," she grabbed her camera, to which she received four groans, but no actual protest as she took only one picture before giving in and packing up to head back to the car._

~.~

"Well, that kinda stinks!" Aiden exclaimed, and Chandler nodded in agreement. "I had to take swim lessons last year, and it was cold and rainy one day, and we still had to swim," he nodded at Chandler. "It was cold and I got _lots_ of goosebumps," he continued, now moving on to another photo album. "Oh, this one!" Chandler laughed at the picture of the three kids in the backseat of the car, Phoebe giving a cheesy, fake smile, and both Erica and Jack had their arms folded across their chests, not happy.

~.~

"_Are we there yet?" Jack sighed, looking out the window._

"_Not quite," Chandler replied, glancing at him in the rearview mirror._

"_You __**just**__ asked that," Erica said slowly, looking at her brother._

"_Did not," he shook his head._

"_Did too," Erica sighed, grabbing the headphones and mp3 player in front of her._

"_Did. Not," Jack grumbled back, yanking the headphones out of her ears. "And, those are mine. You lost yours."_

"_And you let me borrow them," she said through gritted teeth, trying to grab them back._

"_And, now I'm taking them back," he held his arm out so the headphones were out of Erica's reach, now in Phoebe's face._

"_Hey!" she swatted his arm away. "You messed up my drawing!"_

"_Don't hit me," Jack glared at his younger sister._

"_Stop fighting!" Monica warned, turning to face them. "Now!"_

"_He started it!" both girls said in unison, pointing at Jack._

"_Did not!" he retaliated._

"_Did too!"_

"_What did I just say?" Monica again shot them a warning look._

"_But they started it, not me," he whined._

"_Stop whining, and stop fighting, or you're all going to bed as soon as we get there." Monica turned back to the front._

"_But, why?" Jack again crossed his arms, obviously pouting._

"_Because she said so," Phoebe whispered, leaning towards her brother, knowing very well that the answer for "why" to their parents was always "because I said so."_

_Monica glanced at Chandler, smiling, but stifling the urge to laugh at Phoebe's remark. _

~.~

"Mmmm," Jack flipped though a few more albums. "Oh, do this one next!" This album was obviously from years later, and Chandler laughed at the picture of Phoebe, arms crossed, and her Prom date, smiling nervously.

~.~

"_Mo-om," Phoebe crossed her arms. "We have twenty pictures from me getting ready, twenty from me walking down the stairs, twenty from putting on his boutonniere and my corsage, and twenty more just standing here. __**And**__ we're still going to Jessica's house for pictures," she grumbled, looking sternly at her mother. "Dad, help!"_

_Monica and Phoebe looked at Chandler who was leaning against the couch, arms crossed. "What?"_

"_Dad!"_

"_Chandler!"_

"_Hey, yea, we're gonna take off now," Phoebe grabbed her date's arm. "We'll meet you at Jessica's in an hour. Go focus your attention on the other two," she motioned upstairs, where Erica was still getting ready, and Jack had yet to start getting ready._

"_What's your problem?" Monica turned to Chandler after the couple had left._

"_I don't like __**him**__," he nodded towards the car they could still see out the window._

"_And why not?"_

"_Because," he trailed off. "Because!"_

"_Chandler, it's not like she hasn't been out with boys before."_

"_I know, but this is different," he sighed. "This is __**prom**__, and I was a 17-year-old guy once, so I know what a 17-year-old guy is thinking on prom night."_

"_You didn't freak out about Erica going to prom last year with Jeremy," Monica pointed out, starting to head upstairs to check on the other two, and possibly take more pictures._

"_Yes, but I already knew and liked Jeremy, and trusted him as much as a 17-year-old boy can be trusted," he followed her. "This…Troy-"_

"_Trevor," Monica corrected._

"_Whatever. I don't know him. I don't like him. I don't trust him."_

_Monica just laughed, shaking her head. "It's cute when you do the protective Dad thing," she nudged him, and he scowled at her in return. Monica just laughed, knocking on Erica's door as Chandler headed down the hall towards Jack's room._

~.~

"What do 17-year-old boys think about on prom night?" Aiden looked up, not understanding. "What is a prom night?"

Chandler laughed. "I'll tell ya in about ten years. Pick another one," he tapped on the book, and Aiden continued flipping through the pages.

"Hi, Gramma!" Aiden exclaimed when Monica sat down beside them. "Papa is telling me stories about when Daddy was little and he wasn't really old!"

"Oh yea?" Monica laughed, taking part of the scrapbook as Aiden moved so he was between them.

"Yep!" he nodded, pointing at another photo. "That one!" He pointed to one of Phoebe in her cap and gown at high school graduation, Erica and Jack on both sides of her, all three of them laughing.

~.~

"_What's wrong, Phoebs?" Monica asked, moving the tassel on her cap to the left side, watching her fidget nervously in her gown. Chandler, Erica, and Jack had already taken their seats, leaving Mom alone with the soon-to-be graduate._

"_I dunno," she sighed. "It's just…I feel like kinda a failure at high school," she again sighed. "I'm not Miss 4.5 GPA, Planning on Going to Med School like Erica, and I'm not Mister Popular Funny-Guy who Everyone Knows like Jack was," she sighed, looking at the crowd of her classmates streaming into the auditorium._

"_Of course not," Monica rubbed her shoulder, reassuringly. "You're __**you**__, not them!"_

"_Yea, but I just feel like I was such a nobody. No one's gonna remember anything about me…"_

"_Phoebe!"_

"_Phoebs, c'mon!" _

_Monica nodded towards her group of friends. "They don't seem to think you're nobody or that you're someone to forget." Phoebe shrugged. "Go take pictures with your friends," she nudged her. "Cry a little, toss your cap," she smiled when Phoebe smiled. "I'm gonna go sit with everyone else. Go enjoy you're day; someday, you're gonna miss this," Monica nodded at Phoebe's scoff. "Love you, baby," she kissed her cheek before Phoebe ran over to her group of friends, all of them showing off their cute shoes, since that was the only visible part of their outfit._

"_Which one is she?" Erica asked as the graduates started to enter._

"_You shared a room with her for 17 years and you can't tell which one is your sister?" Jack laughed, prompting his sister to hit him with the ceremony program in her hand._

"_Shut up, they all look the same in their caps and gowns," she went back to watching. "Oh, I see her. Phoebe!" she yelled, waving when her sister turned around. "Ha!' she turned to Jack, who just shrugged._

"_Are there any words to 'Pomp and Circumstance?'" Chandler asked, looking down at the program. _

_Jack shrugged. "What does that even mean? Pomp and Circumstance. So proper."_

"_It's from _Othello_," Erica replied, not looking at them. "Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump/ The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife/ The Royal banner, and all quality/ Pride, Pomp, and Circumstance of glorious war," she quoted. Chandler and Jack shot each other confused looks, both shrugging._

"_Right," Jack nodded, looking back to the crowd to see whom else he could recognize._

_Monica smiled when Chandler squeezed her hand, looking away from the stage as the first speaker walked up. "They're all grown up," she whispered, tears in her eyes, and he nodded, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Now what?"_

"_Well," Chandler grinned, "I know _one_ thing we can do once they're all out of the house…"_

"_Chandler!"_

_Chandler just laughed, giving her hand another squeeze, turning his attention back to the stage. They were all grown up now…_

~.~

"Papa, what did you want to do in the house after Aunt Phoebe gradu-tated?" Aiden asked, prompting laughs from both of his grandparents.

"You know how I said I'll tell you about what a prom night is in ten years?" Chandler asked, and Aiden nodded. "I'll tell you about it then."

That answer seemed to placate Aiden, who grabbed the next book, flipping through the pages. "That one!"

"Aiden, that's you as a baby."

"I know," he grinned. "That one!" he again pointed, but grinned and jumped up when a car pulled up. "Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Erica!" he yelled, running towards the driveway.

"Hey, little man," Phoebe grabbed him as she got out of the car, carrying him back up to the porch. "Look what I found wandering around," she held him tight, not letting him squirm down.

"Huh, looks like an Aiden," Erica poked his stomach as she joined them, and he giggled. "I think I've heard of those."

"Down, down, down," he wiggled in her arms as Erica and Phoebe greeted their parents. "I wanna see more old pictures!"

"Oh, put those away," Phoebe shook her head, closing the open album on top.

"Your brother and Melissa are inside," Monica nodded towards the door. "We'll be in, in just a second," she added, and the girls walked through the door. "Okay, one more, Aiden," she instructed as he picked another book up. A loose picture floated out of it, falling to the ground. Leaning down to pick it up, he wrinkled his forehead.

"Who's that?"

"That's us," Chandler laughed, taking the other photo from him.

"How old is that?"

"Pretty old," Monica nodded, smiling at Chandler. "When we were in college."

"Like Aunt Erica?"

"Yea, but we didn't go for as long like her, since she is going to be a doctor," Monica explained, looking at the picture. She never could quite place exactly when the picture was taken, but Carol had come across it years ago, and thought they would like to have it. It was obviously candid, since neither of them was looking at the camera, but rather at each other. She recognized the look on Chandler's face in it, and would bet they had been playfully arguing about something when it was taken.

"I'm gonna go inside," Aiden hopped down, running inside, screen door slamming shut behind him.

"He's getting too big," Monica shook her head. "He's gonna grow up on us, too, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid so," Chandler nodded in agreement. "Those three need to work on making us some more grandkids so we have some to replace him with when he gets older." The words weren't even all out of his mouth before Monica smacked at his hand. Chandler just grinned, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Then they'll all just grow up, too, I suppose, " he added, looking at the sun that was starting to set in the sky.

"That's how it works," Monica sighed, squeezing his hand back. "Love you."

Chandler grinned, turning to face her, positive that even after all of those years, he still seemed to love her more and more every day. When they had dated, he would have said that wasn't possible, but then they got married, and after spending time apart when he worked in Tulsa, he realized he did, in fact, love her ever more. And then when they found out they might never have a child on their own, but they got through it, he loved her just a bit more. And the day Erica and Jack were born, a bit more. And then more and more and more from then as he saw her as their mother. And then he thought his love had to top out when Phoebe was born, but, no, still kept on going. Every once in a while, he'd think about it, and every time he thought about it, he realized that he did, in fact, love her even more than the last. Despite fights and bad days, and even a few bad years, the feeling never, ever decreased. Only increased.

Chandler leaned in, kissing her on the cheek, as he glanced through the living room window at their family, gathered around talking, no doubt waiting for them to join them inside. He smiled. Yes, he missed more than anything, when the kids were little and ran around at home, but, really, they had all gotten what parents can only hope for their children. They were all healthy and happy and successful. And with each passing year, even though it was another year's worth of memories to miss, it was also another year's worth of love to add.

Turning back towards the sunset, he smiled, giving Monica's hand another affectionate squeeze. "Love you, too, Mon."

~.~

_I look over at their pictures,_

_Sittin' in their frames._

_I see them as babies:_

_I guess that'll never change._

_You pray all their lives,_

_That someday they will find happiness._

_Then they do, and that's how it is._

_It's just quiet in the mornin',_

_Can't believe how much you miss,_

_All they do and all they did._

_You want all the dreams they dreamed of to come true:_

_Then they do…._

"_Then They Do," Trace Adkins_

~.~

_There ya have it. Not quite as good as I had hoped, but…what can ya do. I have a need to have a definite ending to all of my fics, so at least now it's done. Was it sweet enough that you want to puke? Because I kinda do. Like, seriously, that was too sweet and corny for my taste, and I wrote it, ha!_

_And a special thanks to the kids I nanny for, though they will never see this…they were the basis for the Bing kids, so without them, this whole thing would have been super boring :) So, yea, I know not many people review last chapters, since there is no need to beg for it to be continued, but please do still :) Now, on to a new series! I'm thinking either some Randler, or else something that will make you cry…..hm…._


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